FOLLOWUP: Highline High School taking steps on student safety, acceptance

Highline High School had their first day of school on Wednesday, Sept. 6, and at the end of the day Principal Vicki Fisher sent out an email to families with an update on the school’s attempts to “ensure that every student in our school is accepted, safe, and celebrated.”

This recent increased attention to student safety stems mostly from an incident in June, when the school’s ‘Spirit Rock’ was painted over – and photos shared on social media – in what many students considered an insensitive manner (read our extensive previous coverage here).

The school held several open community meetings over the summer with students, parents and community members, and will be releasing more info based on feedback received soon. If you have an interest in participating, please send an email to Vicki Fisher at [email protected].

Here’s Fisher’s full email:

Dear Highline Pirates Community,

As we embark on the new school-year, Highline High School recognizes that relationships are key to ensuring our students have a successful learning experience. Over the summer, we have partnered with students, families, staff and community members, hosting four community meetings on, June 15th, 27th, August 10th and August 24. These sessions were designed to listen to stakeholders in the community and collaborate in identifying specific actions we can take to ensure that every student in our school is accepted, safe, and celebrated.

In three of the sessions participants were invited to review community feedback, identify common threads, categorize ideas, prioritize a focus and begin action planning. The draft action plans will be the initial documents used by a team of stakeholders to continue to strengthen our campus culture and community. We are currently in the process of identifying members of the stakeholder team. If you have an interest in participating, please send an email to Vicki Fisher at [email protected].

As we begin the 2017-18 school year, we are already taking action based on community feedback. We have redesigned and purposed advisories to include a focus on social and emotional learning, positive behavior instruction, academic success, and an ongoing and open dialogue between students and school administrators. During the first week of school, advisory classes will be extended in order for our students to identify core values and develop class charters. This work will support our school-wide efforts to build the individual and collective capacity to treat each other with respect and empathy throughout the year.

We have had strong participation from many community members who have taken time to come together to support a positive movement towards a stronger, unified, and equitable Highline. We are grateful for each and every person who has contributed to the work thus far and look forward to a growing partnership in the months and years to come. If you have questions, concerns or comments, please reach out to us at Highline High School. We want all voices to be heard in the process of building a safe learning environment for every student.

I don’t understand you’re logic, because based on that wouldn’t you be Implying that the LGBTQ and Minority groups should flip things around on for example “Us white or Homophobic people?”, by spreading hate and violence throughout these communities. Because the fact is that these groups of LGBTQ and minorities outnumber everyone who is White and Homophobic. I know that it scares a lot of people, but their isn’t anything too be sacred of and we can all learn from each other. But don’t take my word for it because I’m not a special snowflake…… Listen to someone like Michio Kaku.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK0Y9j_CGgM

Yah there’s no way you are going to enjoy life. Might as well get a mean hateful attitude as early as possible. Give up all that joy of life nonsense. You are not meant to be curious about the world around you, Stop interacting with people who are different from you. They are only to be degraded and ridiculed. They’re all alike anyway, worthless scum. … Or, so it would seem from many of those who post here.